Together
by xpurebloodprofilersx
Summary: We may not have it all together, but together we have it all. Solo family drabbles
1. Chapter 1

The Solo family was gathered around their tiny dining room table, just finishing up one of the rare meals that all five of them got to eat together, as it was one of the days when Leia had no political meetings, and Han happened to be on the same planet as his family.

The kids and Han were just about done when the family patriarch glanced over at his wife's plate.

Which was still completely untouched. Han rolled his eyes.

Many people may have assumed that his wife was troubled, or perhaps even ill, but Han had known Leia for almost fifteen years now, and he knew that neither was the case. Leia was, quite simply, just a notoriously picky eater, no matter how adamantly she tried to hide it.

He watched her for a moment. She was absentmindedly twisting her fork through the pasta that he had made for dinner and watching the kids, the corners of her mouth turning upwards in amusement as the boys took turns trying to untie Jaina's braids by using the Force. Jaina responded by raising up the pitcher of water on the middle of the table and levitating it threateningly over her brothers' heads.

The smile slipped from Leia's face and she quickly reached out with her own control to place the pitcher swiftly down on the table.

"Okay, that's enough of that," she told them sternly. "If you're done eating, you may ask to be excused."

"May I be excused, Mommy?" Anakin asked sweetly.

"Us, too," said the twins in unison.

"Yes, you may," she allowed. "Go get ready for your baths, okay?"

They all nodded and hopped up from the table. As soon as they were out of sight, Jacen and Anakin yelped, and Jaina giggled. It seemed that she had somehow gotten her revenge after all.

Leia shook her head and Han chuckled. She got up and began to pile up the dirty dishes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Han asked.

Leia looked up, halfway expecting one of the kids to be back in the kitchen, up to no good. But Han was looking directly at her.

"I'm clearing the table?" she said slowly, an eyebrow quirked.

"You didn't finish eating," he accused, with a nod towards her plate.

"I... I'm not that hungry," she retorted, still looking confused.

"Yeah, okay," Han said with another roll of his eyes. He pulled the pile of dishes from her and set them in the sink. Then he turned and pointed at her chair. "Sit. Eat."

Her mouth fell open slightly. "Han, really?"

"Yes, really. You never eat what I cook. And you can't live on ration bars, you know."

She sank into the chair and looked at her husband doubtfully.

"Well, go on," he instructed.

She picked up the fork and twisted some noodles onto it. And silently wished that she'd given in to the children's begging about getting a pet. That was how she'd gone through her entire childhood without eating a single thing that looked even slightly mysterious. She risked a glance up at Han, wondering if there was a way to make food disappear with the Force, and if she could figure it out without him noticing.

No such luck. He was staring directly at her. Waiting.

Han sighed. "You _really_ don't want to eat it, do you?"

"No, I don't!"

"Well, your _Worship_ -"

"-don't call me that," she scowled.

"Oh, sorry. It's just you're acting so _royally needy_ -"

"Han! I am not!"

"Come on, princess, our four and five year olds just ate their entire plates without a single complaint! It's just pasta. What happened to 'giving things a try because it's disrespectful to not graciously accept the hospitality of others'?" he asked, quoting word-for-word what she was always telling their kids.

"I don't _know,"_ Leia whined, poking a piece of something in the pasta with her fork. "What even _is_ this?"

"It's just fish," he said, crossing his arms.

"I don't like fish," she pouted.

"Well, you're going to eat it. And it tastes better warm, so I recommend that you eat it in the near future."

"And what if I don't?" she challenged.

Han scowled. He hadn't thought this far ahead. "Then... then you don't get dessert."

"Dessert?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in amusement. "What's for dessert?"

"Don't worry, it's something you like."

"You're going to have to be more specific, so that I can properly weigh the pros and cons of eating this."

Han rolled his eyes yet again. " _I'm_ for dessert," he concluded, as though it should've been totally obvious to her.

Leia threw her head back and laughed. "Alright, you've convinced me. I'll try your stupid -"

There was a loud crash in the hallway.

" _Mom!"_ Jacen shouted.

"Dad- _dy!"_ cried Jaina. "Anakin has Mommy's lightsaber!"

"Oh, _shit,"_ Han cursed, running out of the room. " _Anakin!_ "

Leia quickly got up to follow him out, but Jaina had silently slipped into the room.

"Mommy, quick," she said, trying not to giggle, "I know how to make food disappear. Don't worry, it's easy. I'll teach you if you just promise that Daddy won't cook anymore!"

Before Leia could reply, Jaina had scrunched up her face in concentration, and then all of the pasta was gone. She flashed a smile at her mother and then ducked under the table.

Leia's mouth fell opened in surprise, and Han re-entered the room.

"He didn't have the lightsaber," he said, confused. "I wonder why the twins would say - hey, did you eat all of that?"

"Um, yeah."

Han narrowed his eyes and looked in the sink, refrigerator and even the garbage bin. The food was, of course, nowhere to be found.

Leia smiled triumphantly.

"Yeah, okay," Han said, still looking suspicious.

"Daddy, I'm ready for my bath!" called Jacen from down the hallway.

"You win this time, princess," he said, and then swiftly exited the room.

Jaina popped back up from under the table.

"Did you just cause a diversion so I didn't have to eat?" Leia asked, more to herself than to her daughter.

"Yep," Jaina beamed.

"You know I should probably scold you for that, right? You know better than to joke about playing with the lightsaber."

Jaina's bottom lip pushed out in a pout. "I was just trying to help you."

"I know, I know. You're not in trouble."

Her daughter's crooked smile reappeared almost instantly.

"I'll go get ready for my bath now." The little girl was halfway out of the room when her mother called her back.

"Jaina, how did you know -"

"The Force is strong in _my_ family," Jaina called in a smug, sing-song voice as she skipped down the hallway.

Leia shook her head, laughing. "That's my girl."

She grabbed a ration bar from the cupboard and headed down the hallway towards her bedroom, where she would hopefully be able to finish it and hide the evidence before her husband got done with bath duty.


	2. Chapter 2

The gala would be starting in 45 minutes, and Han and Luke still hadn't returned from their latest mission. Leia had sent a message to Wedge, who was stationed at the loading docks, to tell her immediately when the _Millennium Falcon_ arrived. There was, so far, no sign of them.

Leia swore under her breath. As a member of the Provisional Council, she was supposed to have arrived 15 minutes ago. Mon Mothma would no doubt send an escort or a droid to come find her if she didn't get up there soon. The gala was, after all, quite important; it was being held in honor of the New Republic's ten year anniversary.

"Mom!" came the wailing of her 6 year old son, Jacen. "I can't find my tie!"

She groaned. She was in the middle of trying to coax 4 year old Anakin into his first tuxedo, which was no easy task, as the child hated "fancy" clothes and was being extremely squirmy. "When was the last time you had it?" she called to Jacen.

"If I knew that, I'd know where to find it!" he replied sassily. "I wish Auntie Winter was here, she'd remember!"

"Me too, kid, me too," Leia muttered, tying Anakin's tie. "Alright, you're done," she said to the immensely relieved boy. "Go sit on the couch, okay? We'll be leaving soon."

"I don't wanna go," Anakin stated for the umpteenth time.

"I know," Leia replied sharply, close to losing her temper.

Anakin pouted and stomped off into the living room.

"Mom, do you think I can use the Force to find my tie?" Jacen inquired, coming out of his bedroom wearing only a pair of pajama pants.

"Jacen Bail Solo! Where is your suit? We were supposed to leave _twenty_ minutes ago!"

"It's on my bed. I didn't want to put it on until I find all the parts, and I can't find my tie."

Leia groaned. "Jace, _please_ go get dressed. I'll look for your tie."

"Try using the Force!" Jacen called over his shoulder. "That would be _awesome_!"

She rolled her eyes but decided to give it a shot. Closing her eyes, she pictured Jacen's tie, and tried her best to call it to her.

Suddenly, Anakin shouted. "Mommy, my tie is pulling! It's too tight!"

"Anakin, that's your brother's tie! What are you doing with it?"

The little boy scowled and in that moment, looked just like his father. "I like his better."

"It's literally the exact same tie!" Leia cried, exasperated.

"Nuh uh! His is better!"

"Okay, whatever. Where is yours?"

His face scrunched up. "I forget."

"Anakin!" Leia whined, looking again at the clock. Thirty minutes to go, and Han and Luke still hadn't arrived. "Jace, where are you?"

"Right here," he said, coming out of his room with, to Leia's relief, a tie in his hand. "This was on Anakin's stuffed Wookiee." He shot a dirty look at his younger brother. "Can you tie it?"

"Of course," Leia replied, quickly tying the knot as the Comlink began to beep. "Can you answer that? I think it's Wedge."

He nodded and raced off to the corner where the Comlink was.

"Jaina!" Leia called. "Are you almost ready to go?"

"Yes!"

"Come out of there so I can see you," she said as she sifted through her jewelry box to find the necklace that matched her hairpiece.

"Mommy, Mr. Wedge says that Daddy and Uncle Luke are on their way up," called Jacen.

"Okay, thank you," she replied, quickly clasping her necklace and bracelet on.

Just then, Jaina stepped out of her room, holding hands with Mara, whom Leia had nearly forgotten about. Jaina looked absolutely perfect - her hair braided halfway back, the rest falling down over her shoulders in loose ringlets, her little red dress not even slightly wrinkled, and both shoes already on and ready to go.

"Jaina, you look lovely. I'm so glad you're here, Mara. Thank you for helping her."

"Don't mention it," Mara replied, leaning in towards the hallway mirror to give her own fiery red locks one last check. Leia knew that the other woman likely meant it.

"Wow, you ladies look gorgeous," Han said suddenly from behind them.

Leia jumped, startled as she hadn't heard him come in, then recovered quickly and spun around to face him. "You two are _so_ late!"

"Yes," Luke said evenly, "But we're already dressed. We had a feeling we might be a little late, since there was a bit of an Imperial hold up on Nkll-" then he stopped abruptly, looking like a deer in headlights.

"Seriously? You were playing cards with _Lando_ while I'm here frantically trying to get these kids ready? You know how important this is-"

"We weren't playing cards-"

" _Han._ "

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. We didn't think that there were going to be Star Destroyers on our way out -"

"What happened?" Mara asked him eagerly, always in the mood to hear a good battle story.

Han's eyes flashed with excitement and he turned to her and opened his mouth, but then thought better of it. "Um.. Maybe another time," he said with a sideways glance at Leia. "We're already late."

"Yes, we are," Leia agreed with a glare. "Let's get out of here." She scooped Anakin onto her hip and swiftly exited the apartment.

"You're in trouble," Mara said to Han.

"Yeah, I am," he agreed.

"Daddy, look," Jaina said excitedly. "Mara painted my nails like the stars!" She held up her hand eagerly. Han looked down to see that her nails were painted navy blue with little silver sparkles all over them.

"Mara did that for you?" Luke asked.

Jaina nodded.

Han turned to Mara. "You helped get her ready?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

He pulled out his wallet and pushed some money into her hands.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Really? You don't have to-"

"Seriously, keep it," Han said, waving her off. "I'm already sleeping on the couch tonight. I'd be in deep, deep shit if you hadn't helped with Jaina. Leia would've been at least an hour late. And I'd be dead."

Mara looked skeptically at Luke.

"He's not wrong," he said with a shrug.

She couldn't really argue with him there.


	3. Chapter 3

Han was starting to panic. He had returned from his latest mission about an hour ago, and had been expecting Leia to greet him on the loading docks.

And yet, an hour later, Leia - and their month old twins - were nowhere to be found. No one else seemed to have seen them recently, either.

And with all of the recent kidnapping attempts, one couldn't really blame Han for worrying.

He was getting ready to head back to their apartment to see if Leia had returned when he spotted a familiar white-blonde head in the crowd ahead of him.

"Winter!"

The woman turned around and looked relieved to see him. "Oh good, Han, you're here! Have you seen Leia and the twins?"

Han's face fell. "No, I was hoping you had."

Winter frowned. "Chewie and I have been looking all over for them. She'd said she was going to feed the babies, so we went into the other room. When we went back awhile later, she was gone."

Han must've looked really concerned, because a moment later, Winter was quickly assuring him, "She left a note. Said she was going for a stroll before she met you at the landing station."

"How do we know she wasn't forced to write that?" Han countered quickly.

"C'Baoth and Thrawn are both dead, and they're the ones that wanted her so badly," said Winter as though she was trying to convince herself, "And Chewie and I would've known if someone had come into the apartment."

Han frowned. That was almost certainly true. No kidnappers could've made it through the front door without running into Chewbacca, and it'd be obvious if someone broke in through a window. "Where have you looked?"

"Everywhere in this apartment building, the spaceport, and most of the shops in between. Chewie is walking around out here somewhere, too. I was on my way to the government building to see if she went there."

"Alright," said Han, "I'll come with you."

Winter nodded. "We can split up. I'll check the conference rooms and the war room. You go to the upper levels and check the office suites."

Han raced up the stairs and breathed a sigh of relief. The twins' double stroller was parked outside one of the doors down the hallway. He pulled out his comlink and sent a message to Winter telling her that he'd found them and she could stop looking.

He walked up to the door where the stroller was and glanced at the nameplate. His eyebrows shot up.

It read "Bail Organa, First Chairman and Viceroy of Alderaan."

At that point, Han considered walking away. He still didn't think that Leia had properly mourned for the loss of her home planet and its people, and maybe this was her private way of doing that.

In the end, he decided against it. If she was genuinely upset, she might need him.

He took a deep breath and entered the suite.

They weren't in the first room that he went into. The technology in the room was old, there were cobwebs in the corner, and Han could see dust floating up from the carpet with each step he took. He wondered vaguely why the room had been allowed to come to this state, having no occupant in nearly ten years.

Han gently opened the door to the adjoining room. His signature crooked smile appeared on his face as he took in the scene before him.

Leia was lying on the floor on her back with a twin on either side of her. They were directly underneath a Holo of Alderaan.

"Do you see that?" Leia was saying softly to the babies, who seemed to be totally captivated by the hologram and their mother's narrations of it. "Those are -were- the Castle Lands. The Killiks built them before any humans lived on Alderaan. I wonder if I can-" she paused, reaching out to touch the holographic mounds gently with one finger. It zoomed in on the castles, and Leia settled back onto the carpet between the twins. "See all the chambers inside? That's where the Killiks would lay their eggs. They put all of the colorful little pebbles around so that the babies have something nice to look at when they hatch."

Jaina cooed, and Leia turned to look at her. "Do you like that, Jaina? We can put some in your room, if you'd like. Then you and Jacen will have something nice to look at, if you ever wake up and Daddy and I aren't there."

The baby gurgled, and Leia laughed, stroking her cheek.

"Here," Leia said, sliding the Holo so that it showed the Alderaanian palace. "That's where Mommy grew up. Auntie Winter and I used to play in the orchards just there for hours and hours. And that's where your Granddad used to keep his Speeders." She laughed, "One time - and you two are never to do anything like this, understand? - one time, when I was seven, I took one of the Speeders and tried to race it around like I'd seen my dad and uncles doing. I crashed the thing right into my mother's garden. I've never seen her so angry in my life, although I think she was more angry at my father than at me. He's the one who left the key in the ignition, you see."

She paused a moment, and Han saw a sad sort of look cross her face.

"Your grandmother would've adored you," she said softly to the twins. "She always loved babies. She had six miscarriages before adopting me, you know. This sounds horrible, but in a way, I'm grateful. I don't know what would've happened to me if they hadn't taken me in. It's possible that they would've sent me to Tatooine with Uncle Luke. You know, I can't imagine separating the two of you. But I suppose if they hadn't separated us, everything would be different. I'd not have been a Princess, and probably wouldn't be involved with any of the Rebellions. I probably would've never met your Daddy, either, and then I wouldn't have you, my little prince and princess," she cooed to them.

Leia became silent and her eyes drifted shut, a little smile playing on her mouth as she recalled more fond memories of her home planet.

Han shifted his weight, causing the old board beneath him to creak, and in a split second Leia was on her feet between the twins and the door with her lightsaber pointed directly at Han's chest.

He put his hands up defensively.

"Oh my God, Han," she breathed. "You scared me half to death!" She quickly flicked her weapon off.

"Sorry," he said genuinely. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"What time is it? I wanted to meet you at the loading docks."

"I got back about an hour and a half ago. You shouldn't go sneaking off places," he scolded, "Winter and Chewie were looking all over for you."

"I really did just want to go for a walk," she said, biting her lip. "I just came across this place and wondered if it had been changed. And then I found the Holo, and I thought I'd just tell the twins about how it was before..." she let the rest of her sentence trail off; Han knew what she meant.

"Well," he said, plopping down on the ground beside Jacen. "I'd love to hear about it, too."

"Really?"

"Sure."

"Alright," she agreed after slight hesitation. She sat back down between the twins and started from the beginning, recalling to Han the history and legends of her little blue and green planet with a passion that made her eyes light up. And in that moment, Han knew that every single unfortunate circumstance that he'd suffered through over the past decade was completely worth it, because it had brought him to this precious moment with his beautiful little family.


	4. Chapter 4

Han Solo eased the _Millennium Falcon_ into the space station and gently set her down on the landing dock, trying to make as little noise as possible. He was exhausted; Lando and Winter's wedding had been crazy. He would have preferred to stay with them overnight, but Leia had an important meeting in the morning, so they had to fly home the same day. It was about 0400 standard hours, way past the family's bedtime.

"Alright," he said softly, just after turning off the engines. "We're home." He turned around to look at his wife and kids. He had known that the kids were fast asleep, but to his surprise, Leia was also slumped over with her eyes shut. Han shook his head and chuckled, undid his lap belt and went to the co-pilot's seat to gently shake his wife awake.

"Lei?" he called, nudging her.

"'M up," she mumbled without opening her eyes.

"No, you're not," he laughed. "Want me to give you another minute? I can bring the kids up to the apartment."

Leia mumbled something unintelligible and Han decided it was a yes. He undid the safety belt holding all three of his kids into the single navigator seat and hoisted eight-year-old Jacen into his arms. He groaned and stumbled slightly, but managed to regain his balance. His oldest son was certainly no longer little; he was nearly as tall as his mother - which technically wasn't saying much - and had quite a bit of muscle built up from running around and playing smashball all the time.

"Dad?" his son asked, stirring slightly in his arms.

"Hey, bud. You awake enough to walk?"

"No," Jacen mumbled. "Are you okay to carry me?"

"Sure," said Han, hoisting him up a little higher.

"Tell me if you're not," said Jacen before immediately falling back asleep.

By the time he returned, nothing had changed on the ship. He grabbed Anakin next, who was still quite easy to lift.

Han returned to the ship once again and laughed. Jaina had shifted in her seat and was now slumped over in the exact position that her mother slept in just a few feet away.

That, coupled with the fact that they wore matching dresses - Leia had been a bridesmaid and Jaina the flower girl - made Han extremely aware of just how similar his wife and daughter looked. It seemed that Jaina had also inherited her mother's ability to sleep with dozens of pins sticking into her head - both were fast asleep using their traditional Alderaanian pinned-up braids as pillows.

As he carried her up the stairs, Jaina told her father, "I'm tired."

"Me, too, sweetheart," he said, rubbing her back gently. "We'll be in bed in a minute."

When he returned a final time to the _Falcon,_ Leia was still passed out in the co-pilot's chair. He shook her awake again.

"Do I have to carry you, too, princess?"

"That'd be wonderful, actually," she said, smiling sleepily. "I do have blisters from those heels."

Han rolled his eyes and easily lifted his petite wife into his arms, bridal style. He locked up the _Falcon_ behind them and carried her up to the apartment.

Once inside, he laid her down on the bed and tucked her in before pulling his boots off and plopping down beside her.

"Han?" she said, falling asleep.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I know, sweetheart, I know."


	5. Chapter 5

The benefit dinner for the orphaned children of Rebel Alliance and New Republic soldiers was in full swing. Several members of the Provisional Council had made speeches already, thanking everyone for their attendance and emphasizing the importance of the cause for which they were all gathered.

Everyone in the Provisional Council sat at a long table along the back end of the ballroom along with their families. Mon Mothma was currently speaking, which made Leia the official leader at the table, and since the older woman had been talking for quite some time, many of the guests' eyes had wandered over to see what the second-in-command was up to.

Leia was used to the stares - she'd been on the receiving end of many during her lifetime, as a princess - but Han wasn't quite as well prepared. He sat silently beside his wife, glowering at anyone who seemed to be looking at them for too long. Jaina and Jacen were, at four years old, big enough to understand that their father was not angry with them and was merely scowling at other people. They therefore found Han's facial expressions to be quite hilarious and were currently taking turns looking up from their coloring pages to steal a glance at their father and giggling when they got away with it.

Anakin, on the other hand, was only two, and as with most Force-sensitive babies, he was easily distressed by the negative emotions of people around him, especially those closest to him. It was making him quite fussy, and even bouncing on Leia's knee didn't do the trick like it usually did to calm him.

If she was being honest, Han's feelings were getting to her, too. His annoyance was obviously not directed at her, but she didn't really feel like being stared at should've caused him to feel that strongly. His irritation was reverberating through the Force and it seemed to sit in the back of Leia's mind as an aggravating throb.

Anakin began to whimper and he turned around to bury his face in his mother's breast. Leia gently pulled him tighter against her and he clung to her dress, tugging on a fistful of the sleek fabric. She took his chubby fist and carefully released it from his grasp. This caused him to flail his arm around in frustration, and she grabbed his wrist, trying to keep him still, which only made him more aggravated. He let out a wail and began to cry loudly, drawing even more eyes to them.

This finally distracted Han enough to look back at his family. One glance exchanged with Leia and he knew that Anakin was beyond consoling, and would have to be taken out of the room. He swiftly took the child from his wife's arms and swept the diaper bag onto his shoulder, glad to have an excuse to get out of the presentation.

"Momma!" Anakin wailed, arms outstretched to Leia as Han carried him around the side of the room and out the door. Leia gave a small smile to the crowd and then focused her full attention on Mon Mothma, trying to send a signal to the people that that's who they should really be paying attention to.

"Mumma," a small voice said from beside her a moment later. She looked down to see Jaina peering up at her, a few stray strands of hair stuck to her forehead and a line of red marker drawn on her cheek.

"What?" Leia asked quietly, trying not to draw more attention to herself.

"I gotta go potty," Jaina replied, her eyes widening in indication of the severity of her needs.

Leia barely suppressed a sigh. Was nothing easy with small children?

"How badly do you have to go?" she whispered.

"Real bad," Jaina replied, sweeping her hair back.

This time, the sigh escaped before Leia could do anything about it. "Okay," she said. "Can you wait until Daddy comes back? He shouldn't be long."

"No," Jaina said, starting to bounce around in her chair. Which, of course, was squeaky.

"Alright, fine," Leia agreed, standing quietly and pulling Jaina up onto her hip. "Come on, Jacen," she breathed, tugging gently on his arm.

"I don't hafta go," he protested.

"You're going to stay here by yourself?"

He nodded emphatically. Leia raised her eyebrows.

"I'll be good. I promise," he said.

People were starting to stare again.

"Okay. Stay right there. I'll be back in a minute."

He nodded and went back to his coloring sheet. Leia gave Mon Mothma an apologetic smile as she exited the ballroom, which went unreturned.

Luckily she found Han just outside the door, juggling a still-sobbing Anakin around on his hip.

"Hey," he said, surprised to see her. "What's wrong?"

"Jaina needs to use the restroom," she said, tucking a stray strand of her long hair behind her ear. "Can you take her? I need to get back in there."

"Sure," Han said, allowing Anakin to slide down to the ground as he reached over to take his squirming daughter. Anakin reached his arms up to his mother, eager to be held. She hoisted him up onto her hip.

"I'm pretty sure he's hungry," Han said.

Leia nodded and went back into the ballroom, taking her seat again beside Jacen, who, to her surprise, had gotten through the exchange without incident. She pulled Anakin's soft blue blanket out of the diaper bag, draped it over her shoulder, and slipped him underneath.

Which, unfortunately, just drew more attention to her. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to ensure that the blanket was still securely over her shoulder. People on Coruscant didn't take very kindly to public breastfeeding, especially when a two-year-old was involved. But on Alderaan it was unusual for a child to be weaned before the age of four, and Leia had always sworn that even though Alderaan was gone, she would not give up its way of life. She sat up a little straighter, sending a cool glance to anyone giving her a funny look. As some of the most polished people in the galaxy, they surely understood foreign culture, and she'd be damned if any of them intimidated the late planet's very own _princess_ to abandon its customs.

Mon Mothma's speech ended moments later and it was time for the Council to mingle with its guests. Han still hadn't returned with Jaina, so Leia found herself greeting people with Anakin still tucked against her chest and Jacen clinging to her free hand.

She was happily chatting with General Rieekan when Jacen let out a delighted laugh behind her. Leia turned around to see Luke and Mara, the former having scooped Jacen up and placed him on his shoulders. Anakin had finished eating moments earlier and was now reaching sleepily but happily for Mara. He had developed somewhat of an obsession with her due to her fiery red hair, which was just the right length to be tugged.

"You didn't tell me you were going to be here!" Leia said accusingly, pulling each of them into a tight hug.

"It was kind of a last minute thing," Luke said, sharing a knowing glance with Mara. She gave him a tiny smile, her eyes lighting up as Leia hadn't seen them light up before.

Leia centered herself within the Force before aligning herself with Luke's feelings, and to her surprise and delight, she felt an overwhelming sense of love and caring that was directed at Mara. Last she'd checked, they had only barely been friends, but it seemed that there had been some serious developments since she had last seen the two of them together. She happily stowed the information away for later as Han returned with Jaina.

"Hey, kid," Han greeted Luke. "General," he added, nodding to Rieekan.

"No greeting for me, Solo?" Mara asked, faking a pout.

"Jade," he added with a roll of his eyes. "How are you?"

" _Lovely,_ yourself?" she countered with a satisfied smirk.

"Alright," he said, shrugging. "I'd be better if these pencil pushers knew how to keep their eyes to themselves. Take a Holo, it'll last longer!" he called to one person who was blatantly obvious in his staring.

"Han!" Leia said, mortified, as she swatted at him. "These are important people who can really help the orphans -"

"Yeah, well," Han huffed. "You know I'm not good with people like you are."

"You don't even try," Luke pointed out.

"Just 'cause I value a little privacy more than their credits -"

"Han, _please_ behave," Leia begged.

"Alright, alright," he agreed. "I'm sorry. I'll be good."

"It's not like you can really blame them for staring, though," said Luke, straight-faced.

"No? Why's that?" Han asked distractedly.

"I mean, we are a pretty good looking family," he replied with a smirk.

Leia and Mara laughed, and the twins joined in, if only to fit in.

Han's signature crooked smile appeared on his face. "Well, kid, you've certainly got a point there. Look at us! We're kriffing _gorgeous."_

Leia leaned against Han and he put his arm around her shoulders.

"I love you," he said.

"I know," she replied with a smile.

After all, if she was going to be in the limelight with anyone, there was no one she'd rather pick than Han, their little ones, and her twin brother.


	6. Chapter 6

"Leia? You home?" Han called into the quiet house as he kicked off his boots and threw his key card onto the countertop. He had just returned from a tiny little smuggling run - one that his wife definitely wouldn't approve of, if she found out about it. He _had_ been on a mission for the New Republic, trying to get in contact with some old friends of his in order to get them to possibly work as spies - but a few members of the old gang agreed, on the condition that he help them with one last run. And he was only two days late. And _technically_ since he was doing the run in order to get his friends to work for the Republic, _technically_ it was part of his original mission. So really, he hadn't done anything wrong.

At least, that's what he told himself.

"Well, look what the Wookiee dragged in," Leia mumbled, coming up the stairs with a basket overflowing with laundry.

Chewbacca, who was right behind Han in the doorway, let out an indignant howl.

Leia rolled her eyes, although neither of them could see it since the laundry was piled in front of her face. "It's just a figure of speech, Chewie. Although I think in our case it probably is more often than not quite literal."

"Hey," Han interjected, stepping forward to take the basket from her. "Should you really be lugging this up the stairs in your condition?"

Her eyes narrowed at him as her hands came to rest on her swollen abdomen.

"Probably not," she admitted coolly.

"You could've at least used the Force to carry it or something. You know you're not supposed to do any heavy lifting with the baby -"

"I _know,_ Han. Don't you think I tried that? I'm not exactly a skilled Jedi Master here, I'm still learning, alright?" she snapped before turning quickly on her heel and disappearing into the living room.

Han looked over his shoulder at Chewbacca, who shrugged.

"You'd better go, pal," Han told his friend. "That cantina's not going to happen tonight."

The Wookiee nodded, barked an invitation to Han - his guest room was much more comfortable than the Solos' couch - and disappeared back out into the street.

Han took a deep breath and headed into the living room after his wife, bracing himself for the worst.

To his surprise, her arms were wrapped tightly around him almost immediately upon his entry, and she was sobbing into his chest. He pulled her closer to him.

"Hey," Han said gently, stroking her tightly braided hair, "What's wrong, princess? Did something happen?"

"I-I didn't know where you w-were," she sobbed. "For two days! Han, how could you do that to me? You could've commed at l-least! I've been worried sick! I thought pirates or bounty hunters or - or stormtroopers or God knows what else-"

"Oh, gosh, sweetheart," he said gently, holding her tighter, "I'm so sorry. I didn't think you'd worry, Chewie and I have been late before, and we always get back in one piece."

"W-well one of these times, you won't," Leia said, peering up at him through the tears that clung to her eyelashes. "And I don't want to have to wait days and days before I find out what's happened to you. Especially with W-Winter away with the twins, and Luke and W-Wedge and Rieekan gone - I haven't talked to anyone in three days and you just never got back, I started to p-panick!"

"Hey, listen to me," Han said, hugging her against his chest and gently rubbing circles on her back. "From now on, if I'm even going to be an hour late, I'll com you. And that's a promise. Okay?"

She nodded and then looked up at him. "I just - I thought I'd lost you," she whispered before looking away, as though she was slightly embarrassed by her emotional outburst.

"I am so sorry, honey," he said. "I really didn't think you'd be so upset by it, or I promise I would've called. It'll never happen again. I love you so much. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know," she said, rubbing her eyes. "I love you, too."

"Good," he said, throwing her his signature lopsided grin. "Now how about we get to folding some of this laundry?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This one takes place before they're married!**

Lando Calrissian walked into the lounge of the _Millennium Falcon_ with an amused little smirk on his face, shaking his head ever so slightly.

Han, who was reclining on the couch, exchanged a suspicious look with Chewbacca. There were only a handful of times that he had seen that look on Lando's face, and it usually didn't end well for the person it was directed at.

"Alright, Calrissian, what's that look for?" Han asked, leaning forward on the sofa with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands crossed.

"Who's the lady?" Lando asked with a laugh.

"Lady?" Han repeated, pushing his eyebrows up in false surprise. "What lady?"

"The lady that has somehow managed to give this piece of junk a feminine touch," Lando said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I dunno what you're talking about," Han claimed, but it was obvious that he wasn't telling the truth, due to Chewbacca's roaring laughter.

"Oh, you don't? Then what's this? You pick these out yourself?" Lando teased, picking a throw pillow off of the couch next to Han and tossing it to him.

Han examined the pillow. It was true that Leia had picked them out, but it wasn't like they had an overtly feminine look to them.

Although... maybe even _having_ throw pillows was kind of a woman thing.

"I happen to enjoy comfortable pillows for when I'm lounging," Han said defensively. "Is that a crime?"

"It is when last time I checked, you don't even have a pillow on your bed," Lando goaded. "And come on, Han, don't tell me you just spontaneously on your own decided to get paintings for your galley and cockpit. I didn't know about your love for Alderaanian and Correllian landscapes."

"Hey, come on," Han argued. "Those are extremely valuable!"

"I know," Lando agreed. "That's why I know you wouldn't have purchased them yourself. I also don't think, had you stolen them, that you would've chosen to keep them rather than try to get some credits out of them."

"Maybe I've just developed a taste for the finer things since you were last aboard."

Lando rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I suppose you randomly decided to start keeping women's shampoo, an extra toothbrush, hand lotion, hair spray, fingernail polish, a fluffy bathrobe, and a hairbrush in your bathroom for no reason too, right?"

Han scowled. "Hey, just because I let you on my ship doesn't give you the right to go digging through all my drawers -"

"Alright, Han, alright," Lando said, holding his hands up. "I'll leave it alone. I don't understand why you're so keen on pretending you're still a bachelor, but I'll leave it alone."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Is she cute, though?" Lando asked.

Han let out a bark of laughter. "Hell yeah, she is. She's perfect. Which is exactly why I don't want you anywhere near her. You don't exactly have a good track record when it comes to keeping your hands off of other people's women."

"She must be something, if she's got our Han Solo wrapped around her finger."

"I'm _not_ wrapped around her finger -"

Chewbacca scoffed and arched his brow at Han, giving him a sort of " _Really?"_ look.

Lando burst out laughing. "Nice try, Solo, but we can see that she's already taken on the daunting task of decorating the _Falcon,_ and I _highly_ doubt you'd let just anyone do that. I'm going to turn in for the night," he added, exiting the lounge to go settle into one of the bunks.

Han remained on the couch and scowled, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that maybe Leia _did_ have him wrapped around her finger.

What surprised him, though, was the fact that this didn't really bother him.


	8. Chapter 8

"You need to concentrate harder," Luke advised his sister, who was visiting him at his new Jedi Academy in an attempt to gain a bit of control over her abilities during a brief break from her diplomatic duties. The pair were outside in a clearing in the forest that surrounded the academy, and Leia was attempting to use her mind to move a tree branch that rested a few yards away.

Unfortunately, she had not yet been successful - the thing hadn't budged in the last two hours - and she was beginning to get frustrated. Luke's constant reminders to concentrate, relax and _feel_ the Force weren't exactly helping the situation, either.

"I am concentrating," she argued without taking her eyes off of the branch. "Every time you tell me to concentrate, you're breaking my concentration."

"You need to be focused enough that you completely block me out."

"Easier said than done," she replied, pushing her sleeves up. "I don't understand how this was so easy for you when you learned. You must be stronger in the Force than I am."

"Hey, listen. This was _not_ easy for me, either. And you know our midi-chlorian levels are almost the same."

Leia sighed. "I know. It just doesn't seem possible that I'll ever be as good as you with all this."

"That," Luke said, "is exactly the problem. You don't actually believe that you can do it. Which doesn't make sense, since you've been able to manipulate things before. Remember when you lifted the blaster off of that Storm Trooper back on Kessel?"

Leia nodded. "But I was under pressure then and it was all instinct. It's harder now, when it's not do or die."

"I know what you mean, but it's the same concept. Just imagine that you're in that type of a situation, and -"

Luke stopped talking abruptly and his jaw dropped when a pair of heavy looking boulders floated in front of him and Leia at shoulder height.

He turned to Leia but she looked just as shocked as he did. The boulders thudded down into the grass - crushing the branch Leia had been trying to move - and the jingling laughter of the twins reached their ears.

"Mommy, mommy!" Jaina giggled, skipping over to them. "Did you see what me and Jacen did?"

"Did you?" Jacen echoed, coming forward to grasp his mother's hand. "And did you see it, Uncle Luke?"

"Yes, we saw," Leia replied quietly, shaking her head. If her four year olds, completely untrained, could already lift rocks twice their size, why couldn't she lift a little stick?

"That was very impressive," Luke complemented the little twins, who beamed back at him. "You two will make excellent Jedi someday."

They turned to look at each other, excitement shining in their eyes.

"Why don't you two run along and play for now," Luke said, ruffling up their hair. "I'll talk to your parents about maybe starting your training sometime soon."

"Okay!" Jaina exclaimed, sharing a thrilled look with her brother. She grabbed his hand and dragged him off to another part of the clearing, back to the fort they had been building out of sticks before deciding to test their abilities in the Force.

"We're going to be real Jedi, just like Uncle Luke!" Luke and Leia heard Jacen exclaim from a distance.

Luke turned back to his sister, who looked like she wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

"You think we would have been like that?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Luke answered softly. He remembered being a small child, alone on Tatooine and already working around the moisture farm, yet always staring out at the stars and wondering why he felt like he was missing out on something. He knew that Leia had felt the same way. Jaina and Jacen were like two halves to a whole, and none of the adults in their lives could ever dream of separating them. Not even when they had to go into hiding as tiny infants had their parents and uncle ever truly considered splitting them up. Luke sometimes wondered why Obi-Wan had decided to send him and his sister to different parts of the galaxy. He knew it had been for their safety, but a large part of him still sorely regretted the fact that he hadn't been allowed to grow up with his twin.

But a Jedi Master does not dwell on the past, Luke reminded himself, and even though he and Leia hadn't been together their whole lives, as they should have been, the Force had brought them back to one another and they were together now.

And if he couldn't teach his own twin sister, his own flesh and blood to use the Force, then how could he really call himself a true Jedi Master?

They spent the next few hours together, Luke telling Leia as many different ways as possible how to reach out with her mind, trying to get her to visualize it and _believe_ that she was capable of doing it. The sun was setting by the time she actually managed to lift a log in the air, and it only held for a few seconds, but it was progress and it made Luke incredibly proud.

Many things in their lives had not been easy, but at least they could work on this one together.


	9. Chapter 9

"Leia? You home?" Han called into the quiet house as he kicked off his boots and threw his key card onto the countertop. He had just returned from a tiny little smuggling run - one that his wife definitely wouldn't approve of, if she found out about it. He _had_ been on a mission for the New Republic, trying to get in contact with some old friends of his in order to get them to possibly work as spies - but a few members of the old gang agreed, on the condition that he help them with one last run. And he was only two days late. And _technically_ since he was doing the run in order to get his friends to work for the Republic, _technically_ it was part of his original mission. So really, he hadn't done anything wrong.

At least, that's what he told himself.

"Well, look what the Wookiee dragged in," Leia mumbled, coming up the stairs with a basket overflowing with laundry.

Chewbacca, who was right behind Han in the doorway, let out an indignant howl.

Leia rolled her eyes, although neither of them could see it since the laundry was piled in front of her face. "Figure of speech, Chewie. Although I think in our case it probably is more often than not quite literal."

"Hey," Han interjected, stepping forward to take the basket from her. "Should you really be lugging this up the stairs in your condition?"

Her eyes narrowed at him as her hands came to rest on her swollen abdomen.

"Probably not," she admitted coolly.

"You could've at least used the Force to carry it or something. You know you're not supposed to do any heavy lifting with the baby -"

"I _know,_ Han. Don't you think I tried that? I'm not exactly a skilled Jedi Master here, I'm still learning, alright?" she snapped before turning quickly on her heel and disappearing into the living room.

Han looked over his shoulder at Chewbacca, who shrugged.

"You'd better go, pal," Han told his friend. "That cantina's not going to happen tonight."

The Wookiee nodded, barked an invitation to Han - his guest room was much more comfortable than the Solos' couch - and disappeared back out into the street.

Han took a deep breath and headed into the living room after his wife, bracing himself for the worst.

To his surprise, her arms were wrapped tightly around him almost immediately upon his entry, and she was sobbing into his chest. He pulled her closer to him.

"Hey," Han said gently, stroking her tightly braided hair, "What's wrong, princess? Did something happen?"

"I-I didn't know where you w-were," she sobbed. "For two days! Han, how could you do that to me? You could've commed at l-least! I've been worried sick! I thought pirates or bounty hunters or - or stormtroopers or God knows what else-"

"Oh, gosh, sweetheart," he said gently, holding her tighter, "I'm so sorry. I didn't think you'd worry, Chewie and I have been late before, and we always get back in one piece."

"W-well one of these times, you won't," Leia said, peering up at him through the tears that clung to her eyelashes. "And I don't want to have to wait days and days before I find out what's happened to you. Especially with W-Winter away with the twins, and Luke and W-Wedge and Rieekan gone - I haven't talked to anyone in three days and you just never got back, I started to p-panick!"

"Hey, listen to me," Han said, hugging her against his chest and gently rubbing circles on her back. "From now on, if I'm even going to be an hour late, I'll com you. And that's a promise. Okay?"

She nodded and then looked up at him. "I just - I thought I'd lost you," she whispered before looking away, as though she was slightly embarrassed by her emotional outburst.

"I am so sorry, honey," he said. "I really didn't think you'd be so worried, or I promise I would've called. It'll never happen again. I love you so much. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know," she said, rubbing her eyes. "I love you, too."

"Good," he said, throwing her his signature lopsided grin. "Now how about we fold some of this laundry?"


	10. Chapter 10

The three of them were lazing around the _Falcon_ 's lounge on their way back to Coruscant from visiting a site where Luke was considering starting his Jedi Academy. Chewbacca had agreed to remain in the cockpit for a while, giving Luke, Leia, and Han some time to spend together before they each returned to their busy lives.

It was getting late, and Leia was half asleep on the couch while Luke and Han tossed baby names back and forth. Han and Leia had discussed it a few times but were having a hard time coming up with anything, especially since they were expecting twins, and they wanted the names to go together at least to some extent. They wanted to call the girl Jaina after Han's mother, but other than that, nothing was certain.

Luke and Han had been coming up with ideas for some time now, and initially Leia had been vetoing all of them, but now she was too tired. The names were growing steadily more ridiculous as time went on.

"How about Jabba?" Luke said jokingly.

"Come on, kid," Han said, laughing, "That's not even funny. Bantha?"

"C-3PO the second?"

"Lightsaber?"

"Nerfie? Or Chewbacca Jr?"

"How about Millennium Falcon Solo?" Han asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"No," Leia mumbled from across the room.

The men chuckled.

"What about middle names?" Luke asked. "Personally I've always wanted a nephew called Millennium Falcon Luke Solo."

"You know, that does sound pretty good," Han said.

Leia sighed dramatically.

"What's your middle name?" Han asked Luke.

"Don't have one," he said, shrugging.

"Me neither," said Han. "I don't really see the point, anyway."

"Do you have a middle name, Leia?" Luke asked his twin sister.

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"What's your full name?"

She groaned. "Don't make me say it."

"That bad, huh?"

"Not really."

"Then just tell us!"

"I'm trying to sleep."

"I guess we'll be forced to assume that your middle name is Nerfie," Han said regretfully, shaking his head.

Leia's eyes popped open and she glared at her husband and her brother as she said flatly, "My full name is Her Royal Highness Leia Breha Rominaria Oro Jobal Isatabith of the House of Organa, Crown Princess of Alderaan." She paused for a second, and then added, "There should be a 'Solo' in there somewhere, too. Can you let me sleep now?"

They both stared at her for a second, and then Han broke the silence.

"Damn, woman, you've got enough middle names for all of us."


End file.
